Senator CANAVAN (Queensland—Minister for Resources and Northern Australia and Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate) (14:52): Thank you, Senator Rennick, for that very important question. There's a lot going on in infrastructure in Queensland. It's all part of our more than $100 billion spend—a record spend—on infrastructure. This government is making a record spend on infrastructure. That's supporting more than 80,000 jobs in Australia at the moment, with projects under construction. You mentioned the Inland Rail, Senator Rennick. I know you're a big supporter of opening up agricultural opportunities in particular in this country, and the Inland Rail does just that. The Inland Rail is a nation-building project that will hook Melbourne up to Brisbane for the first time with a proper inland freight rail network. This will cut time, save money and support jobs. Opposition senators interjecting— Senator CANAVAN: It will create a steel Mississippi through the spine of our country, a corridor of commerce. Opposition senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Senator Rennick on a point of order? Senator Rennick: Point of order, Mr President: despite being on the same side of the chamber, I'm having problems hearing the minister because of the interjections from the other side. Opposition senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order. I would urge senators to heed the request of other senators who would like to hear an answer. Senator CANAVAN: As I was saying, this will create a corridor of commerce in inland towns through our country. The CSIRO has estimated that this project will cut $76 a tonne off freight costs between Melbourne and Brisbane; it will allow it to be transported in under 24 hours. For the first time we'll have rail journeys between Melbourne and Brisbane taking less than a full day. It is a shame that the speaker of Queensland is no longer with us, because I know he takes a keen interest in rail projects in his home state. Last week we signed a bilateral agreement with the Queensland government to finally get this project going in Queensland, and a big part of the spend—about $6 billion of the $9 billion project—will be spent in Queensland—in your home state, Senator Rennick, and my home state. This fantastic project is supporting more than 7,000 jobs in Queensland; around 15,000 jobs will be created through the life of this project. But it's not just about the jobs that are created during construction; it is about opening up our nation for commerce, it is about connecting up rural towns for better freight options, and it is supporting agriculture and the expansion of agricultural industries, because the closer they are to port then the closer they are to their customers in Asia, which will mean more production and more jobs here in Australia. The PRESIDENT: Senator Rennick, a supplementary question?